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Friday, November 16, 2012

Cruising Course Day 4 - Cabbage Key to Bradenton

Do I need to say it? Coffee, anchor, and away we go once again. Same start as all the previous days...but we did sleep in just a bit later. The winds were again with us, up slightly from the previous day so after motoring out of the bay, we were able to raise the sails and travel by the power of the wind. Apparently much of Tracey's earlier trip was missing the wind so we've been pretty lucky the last few days.

As with the previous days, we again took turns manning the various lines to raise the sails and then each of us took turns at the helm. We've also taken turns cooking, washing dishes, and of course lounging around on the boat as we travel. Yeah, it's a rough life.

I haven't really mentioned it yet, but thus far we've made breakfast, lunch, and all but yesterday's dinner while en route. Breakfast ranged from fresh fruit and yogurt to omelets, lunches were generally just sandwiches, with hot dinners as varied as corned beef and cabbage to a spaghetti casserole. All in all, we've been eating well and cooking has been easier than one might think. The boat came with a 3 burner propane stove as well as a refrigerator and a freezer (we're told it doesn't keep ice cream well though) that runs on the house batteries. Having a seawater pump for the sink helps save fresh water supplies while washing dishes and the Dawn dish soap didn't seem to have problems with it.

We made good time on this leg and arrived in Bradenton in the afternoon. While this was the end of our 282 nautical mile trek, it was not the end of the course. We will be staying on board another night and doing some maneuvers that we didn't have the chance to do during the trip the following day. Having done a fair amount of cooking we chose to eat at the restaurant at the marina.

One other thing happened that day: After disappearing for a while, Captain Tracey came back with our tests for the 104 and 114 course. Nobody really wanted to take the test while we were sailing (I personally wanted a little more time to study), so we postponed it until the next morning.

Thus far we have learned quite a bit about what it is like to live aboard a sailboat while traveling.

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...That's the plan anyway

With no sailing experience and coming from a land-locked state, we intend to give up successful careers and embark on a more minimalistic and lower impact lifestyle living on a sailboat. Come along as we attempt to sail away from the rat race.

About Me

I'm an ex-software engineer living with my wife and two spoiled dogs. I hold a private pilots license and in the past owned a small, single engine aircraft. My wife and I are both PADI certified open water scuba divers.
When we started this sailing adventure, other than being passengers, we had no experience on a sailboat. We've taken sailing lessons through the ASA programs in both Colorado and Florida. In December 2013 we purchased our floating home, a 1999 Leopard 38, and in April of 2015 we sold our house and moved aboard.